


Hello Baby

by fumihiko



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Babysitters TXT, But it's okay, Fluff, Gen, Soft hyungs, Splash Battles, TXT appears on a TV show, TXT best hyungs, They make awful parents, who babysits who
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:47:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24321538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fumihiko/pseuds/fumihiko
Summary: The five members take on the challenge of caring after a toddler on a TV show. As with anything the group has ever done together, chaos ensues.[“Relax, we’ve got this,” Yeonjun said as he sat between Hueningkai and Taehyun, slinging both his arms over their shoulders. “All these years we were able to take care of these two babies right here, taking care of the three-year-old will be a piece of cake.”“I was self-sufficient,” Taehyun deadpanned. “And I think I did way more parenting than you and Soobin hyung combined.”“You little brat!”]
Relationships: Choi Beomgyu/Choi Soobin/Choi Yeonjun/Huening Kai/Kang Taehyun
Comments: 23
Kudos: 103





	1. Ready or Not

**Author's Note:**

> Because I miss watching Hello Baby, I've decided to write this TXT-centric one. It's also unbeta-ed so I will edit from time to time if I spot anything amiss. I hope you like it!

“So you’re saying we’ll have to take care of this baby for a whole year?” Taehyun asked, eyes narrowing as he lifted his gaze from the stack of documents splayed in front of him.

“Well, not exactly for a whole year,” Soobin said as he reached out to point to Taehyun a paragraph on one of the papers. “It says here we’d only be filming once a month, twice at most, and not more than 24 hours each time.”

Both Taehyun and Soobin were sitting next to each other, studying the documents their manager had sent them earlier that day. There were papers strewn all over their dining table of their shared apartment as the two studied the contents in earnest.

In the beginning, when offered to star on the reboot TV show called ‘Hello Baby’, their company was a little hesitant to accept and preferred the group to appear only in shows which enabled them to promote their music and performances. However after several talks with the show’s production team, the company felt that it might be a good opportunity for the group to make themselves more known to the public given the show would be aired on a public television channel. Before the company could finalize their decision, the members were given the chance to inspect the proposal.

“I can’t believe they’re bringing back this show,” Yeonjun interjected as he came out of his room to sit opposite the other two members, a similar stack of documents in his hand. “I just read the whole thing and it sounds exhausting.”

“It says here the kid we’ll be taking care of is three,” Taehyun said, scrunching his nose as he read. “What can a three-year-old do?”

“Uhhh... I have no idea, I’ve never spent much time with little kids.” Soobin frowned. “As long as they’re potty-trained, I think we’ll be okay.”

“Even so, I just know it won’t be easy,” Yeonjun said, as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s going to be chaotic.”

“But it’s exciting, don’t you think?” Soobin said with a smile. “I used to watch this show on TV when I was younger and I always found it entertaining – my favourite singers figuring out how to care after a baby.”

“Not if the singer is a baby himself,” Taehyun snorted. “I’m referring to you, Yeonjun hyung.”

“I am not! A baby.” Yeonjun said, a little pout visibly forming. “If anything, Huening would be the baby taking care of a baby.”

“Speaking of which, where is he? And Beomgyu?” Soobin asked as he looked around their apartment. It was unusually quiet, knowing how loud the pair could be.

“They went to the store to get ice-cream,” Yeonjun said. “Although I swore I just saw them finishing two tubs of ice-cream after we had lunch a while ago.”

“Oh,” Taehyun sighed, finally putting the papers he’d been studying aside. “We’re going to make such terrible parents.”

***

After agreeing to participate in the show, the five members were then made to attend a briefing on childcare. Instead of enrolling in a class, an instructor was called to their office building to make it easier for the members. The session started off rather well and the five members found themselves immersed in the instructor’s lessons. They then met up with the production crew to discuss the technicalities of the show.

As explained by the producer, the members will be receiving missions from the production crew which they would have to carry out while spending time with the child. Fortunately, they didn’t have to stay confined to their apartment and were allowed to shoot at other places, provided they give a heads-up to the crew.

“I don’t think this child rearing thing will be that difficult,” Beomgyu said much later after all the meetings ended and the members were sitting together eating dinner in the common hall of their office. “We just need to keep the baby happy and entertained. And I am a terrific entertainer!”

“We are _not_ child rearing Beomgyu-ah, just think of us as babysitters,” Soobin said, before swatting Beomgyu’s hand from reaching for the dumpling on his plate. “Also stop eating my food, I’m really hungry right now.”

“Here, have mine,” Hueningkai said as he fed Beomgyu a piece of his dumpling, much to the older member’s satisfaction. “So we know that the child is a three-year-old boy. What else?”

“His name is Yoonjae. He is the youngest in his family, he has an older brother,” Taehyun said. “He likes singing and he loves animals. And his favourite food is seaweed.”

“Like, just plain seaweed?” Yeonjun asked.

“Yep.” Taehyun nodded.

“This would be easy then! We can feed him all the seaweed he wants.” Beomgyu said, flashing a smile. This earned him several nervous glances from the other members before Beomgyu quickly added in small voice, “I’m kidding, of course.”

“I guess we’ll have to learn how to cook, too,” Soobin said. “We can’t be feeding him takeout every single time he comes to our place.”

“I can cook,” Yeonjun said confidently. “Right? Guys?”

“Hyung, you only use the kitchen to make steak once in a while,” Hueningkai said teasingly. “I don’t think can feed this kid steak every time he comes over. We need to learn how to make porridge, soup, veggies… all that healthy stuff.”

“Veggies,” Yeonjun repeated, his face clearly showing distaste. “Ugh. Who eats them.”

“Let’s try cooking tomorrow morning then. I’ll search for some recipes tonight and we can try it out.” Soobin said. “Everyone on board?”

“Hyung, when you say morning, how early is that?” Beomgyu asked a little mischievously, blinking his big eyes at Soobin. “Like after 10 am, right? How about doing it in the afternoon instead?”

“Yah!”

***

“Hyung, is this enough?” Hueningkai asked Yeonjun as he held out a pot filled with water and uncooked rice grains.

“That’s too much water… remove two inches or something.” Yeonjun said rather distractedly while cutting some potatoes.

After a while, Hueningkai returned to Yeonjun’s side to show him the pot once again. “How about now, hyung?”

“Yah! Why did you remove the water completely?!”

“You said two inches! I measured!”

“I didn’t mean _exactly_ two inches!”

“What did you mean then?!”

“Okay, the both of you have got to calm down,” Beomgyu said as he entered the kitchen space, looking fresh out of the shower. “My ears aren’t used to so much noise this early in the day.”

“Good morning to you, too, sleepyhead,” Yeonjun said wryly as he handed Beomgyu an apron. “Get to work. Help me chop up some onions.”

“What are we making?” Beomgyu asked as he peered at Yeonjun’s cutting board.

“For now, just rice and some side dishes – all very healthy side dishes.” Hueningkai said.

“Yes, huge emphasis on the healthy,” Yeonjun said affirmatively. “Yoonjae is a growing kid and he would need to eat all the good stuff so that he can grow nice and tall.”

“Hyung, you’re talking about the child like how you talk about plants,” Beomgyu said as he moved away from the counter. “And where is Soobin hyung and Taehyunnie?”

“They went to the market nearby with one of the managers to get some meat,” Hueningkai replied, moving towards the sink to add more water to the pot in his hands. “Didn’t realize we’ve completely run out of them.”

“That’s weird, we are also out of ice-cream,” Beomgyu said with a frown, inspecting the contents of their refrigerator.

“Didn’t we just buy some yesterday?” Hueningkai asked, also surprised.

“I think Taehyun ate them all,” Yeonjun said with a laugh. “He was stress eating last night. Probably because of having to do this show.”

“Why?” Beomgyu asked. “I think it’s going to be fun.”

“I think he’s worried over the additional responsibility of having to care for a child,” Hueningkai said. “You know, since he’s the only adult in our group, and all.”

“I am going to pretend you didn’t just say that.” Yeonjun said, flicking a small piece of potato skin in Hueningkai’s direction. “Beomgyu, how are the onions coming along?”

“Uh… which of these exactly are the onions?” Beomgyu asked, causing Yeonjun to choke in surprise and Hueningkai to laugh as he finally put the pot of rice to cook.

“Boy, are we up for an adventure.”

***

The first day of filming finally came. Yoonjae was scheduled to arrive at their apartment shortly and the members were already seated together in their living room, waiting.

They spent the night before cleaning the entire apartment and had put away any furniture and objects which might be dangerous to the child. They even made some space for the child in Yeonjun’s bedroom as he was the only member who didn’t share a room. There was a child-sized bed covered in space-themed sheets tucked in a corner, next to a shelf of books and big boxes of toys. Outside in the living room, they had put together a little tent Yoonjae could lay down or sit in. It was filled with fluffy pillows, little fairy lights and cute stuffed animals, handpicked from Hueningkai’s personal collection.

Instead of having a camera crew there together to film them, the production crew had installed cameras at every corner of the apartment. They didn’t want to have cameras shoved so near or trailing behind the child and thought it would be much easier for the child to bond with the members this way.

“I’m nervous,” Soobin said in a near whisper as he paced around the living room. “Aren’t you guys nervous?”

“I am,” Hueningkai said with a gulp. “What if he doesn’t like us?”

“Don’t say that, I’m already imagining the worst case scenario.” Soobin said wearily.

“And what does that look like?” Beomgyu asked, shifting in his seated position.

“The kid cries and won’t let go of his mother and then we end up sitting here weeping over our failure?” Taehyun guessed, arching an eyebrow as he looked at Soobin.

“Close,” Soobin said with a laugh. “I also imagined the kitchen on fire. Seems very likely based on our attempt to cook the other day – I’ve never seen potatoes so burnt like that in my life.”

“No thanks, I’ve had enough of burning houses after our last comeback promotions,” Beomgyu said with a sigh.

“Relax, we’ve got this,” Yeonjun said as he sat between Hueningkai and Taehyun, slinging both his arms over their shoulders. “All these years we were able to take care of these two babies right here, taking care of the three-year-old will be a piece of cake.”

“I was self-sufficient,” Taehyun deadpanned. “And I think I did way more parenting than you and Soobin hyung combined.”

“You little brat!” Soobin whined.

“They sure grow up too fast.” Yeonjun muttered under his breath.

Suddenly the doorbell rang and all of them immediately stood up at the sound. Soobin went to open the door and was greeted by a woman. She had a kind smile and was holding a red little bag on one hand. A boy was visibly hiding behind her legs as she tried to get him to greet Soobin.

“Hi, I’m Yoonjae’s mother.”

“I’m Soobin!”

“Yoonjae-ah,” his mother cooed as she tried to get her son’s attention. “Say hi to this hyung.”

Soobin crouched so that he was closer to Yoonjae’s eye-level and was looking at the boy expectantly.

Finally Yoonjae stuck a head from behind his mother’s leg and offered a shy wave, and Soobin could already feel himself soften at the cute gesture. Yoonjae had really big, doe eyes and the roundest cheeks Soobin has ever laid his eyes on. The child then scrunched his little button nose which made Soobin think of a baby bunny.

“He can be quite shy, especially when meeting new people.” Yoonjae’s mother explained.

“Ah, that’s completely understandable,” Soobin said. “Come on in, I’ll introduce everyone.”

***

Yoonjae’s mother left after they did a round of introductions and after talking a little about Yoonjae. They discussed his allergies, his sleep patterns, his general needs as well as his interests. They were also told Yoonjae recently developed a habit of asking questions about everything. He likes it when people read to him and he likes being patted gently when put to sleep. However his mother also warned that he can be a little fussy and is a bit of a picky eater.

They found out that Yoonjae’s mother is a single parent and is running a small business in the city while Yoonjae’s older brother was already old enough attend school. As such, Yoonjae is often sent to daycare. She informed that the producer of the show is a close friend of hers and she agreed to let Yoonjae be taken care of the members. Soobin assured her that they would take care of Yoonjae and she smiled and told them that she trusts that they will do their best.

Yoonjae was a little teary after his mother said that she had to leave for work but was easily coaxed when Yeonjun asked if he wanted to see his room. Upon Yoonjae’s mother’s departure, Soobin and Hueningkai stayed in the kitchen to speak to the production crew over the phone to discuss their plans for the day.

Yeonjun helped Yoonjae take off his little red coat, his tiny arms struggling to pull the material off himself, and Beomgyu noticed that the three-year-old was wearing a shirt with a bright green T-Rex printed on the front.

“We’ve got a book about dinosaurs, you know,” Beomgyu said excitedly as he trailed behind Yoonjae and Yeonjun who were holding hands as they walked to Yeonjun’s room.

“I like dinosaurs,” Yoonjae said with a small smile, his first words to the members.

“Yeah?” Yeonjun said with a coo, returning the child’s smile with his own. “Do you want us to read the book on dinosaurs to you?”

“Okay,” Yoonjae easily agreed.

“Great, we’ll do that.”

“Um,” Yoonjae frowned a little, his lips visibly forming a little pout. “Do you have choco milk?”

Beomgyu stopped to look at Taehyun who was close behind him. “Do we?”

“No. I don’t think so.” Taehyun said with a frown. “But I know Hueningie keeps banana milk in the fridge.”

“Yoonjae-ah, how about banana milk?” Yeonjun asked, crouching in front of the young boy as he held both his hands. “It’s delicious.”

Yoonjae pondered it for a while before finally nodding. “Okay.”

“Alright, hyung will get banana milk for you.” Taehyun said as he started to walk towards the kitchen.

“Thank you, hyung,” Yoonjae said softly. Behind him, Beomgyu was freaking out over how cute the little boy was.

“Hyung?” Yoonjae questioned, tilting his head, obviously perplexed at Beomgyu’s reaction.

“He said hyung! Did you hear that? Hyung!” Beomgyu shrieked, hands covering his ears in excitement.

“Beomgyu-ah, you can’t be like this every single time he calls us hyung,” Yeonjun scolded without so much of a bite in his voice. “Let’s read that dinosaur book together, shall we?”

***

**MISSION: GET YOONJAE TO EAT BROCCOLI**

“Isn’t this too difficult, hyung?” Hueningkai asked, worrying his lower lip as he read the message the production crew had just sent them.

“Ah, nonsense,” Soobin waved his hand dismissively. “We’ll make the broccolis so tasty, Yoonjae wouldn’t even think he’s eating them.”

“What are you doing to do? Dip them in cheese sauce? Dye them a different colour?” Hueningkai said with a sniff. “It’s the colour that’s off-putting to kids.”

“Is there banana milk in the fridge?” Taehyun asked as he approached the pair in the kitchen. “It’s for Yoonjae.”

“Yes, I have some left,” Huening quickly opened their refrigerator to retrieve a tiny banana milk carton.

“Thanks,” Taehyun said. “So what’s our first mission?”

“We need to get Yoonjae to eat broccoli,” Soobin said, as he started moving around the kitchen to get the cooking utensils prepared. “He’s known to be a fussy eater and his mother has been having a hard time getting him to eat his vegetables.”

“And we’re going to change that? In one evening?” Taehyun asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes,” Soobin nodded. “And we are going to succeed.”

“Oof. Hyung, I admire your confidence.” Hueningkai said with a giggle.

“It’s one of my best qualities, yes,” Soobin said with a bright smile, unfazed by the younger member’s teasing.

“Your cooking however… it’s definitely something else.” Hueningkai said, his voice sounding more wary as Taehyun cackled in the distance before disappearing off to Yeonjun’s room with the banana milk secured in hand.

And so their adventure together begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will update soon. I wrote this in one sitting and my neck hurts lol.


	2. Lead by Example

“Dinner is ready, you can call them here now.” Soobin said to Hueningkai as he and Taehyun moved around to set their dining table.

Hueningkai padded across the hall silently before gingerly opening the door to Yeonjun’s room. He could see Yoonjae lying down between Beomgyu and Yeonjun on the eldest member’s bed, Yoonjae’s little legs were barely covered by the blanket in between them. The three-year-old was pointing at the pictures in the book they were reading.

Beomgyu held the big book in his hand, angling it closer so that Yoonjae could see it better while Yeonjun was carding his fingers in Yoonjae’s soft hair.

“And what does the Spinosaurus say?” Beomgyu asked Yoonjae playfully.

“Rawr!”

“And the Stegosaurus?”

“Rawr!”

“And the Velociraptor?”

“Rawrrrr!” Yoonjae exclaimed again, much to the pair’s delight.

Beomgyu found it especially funny. “Hyung, why do all these dinosaurs make the same sounds?”

“I’d like to see you try to make a different dinosaur sound.” Yeonjun said, rolling his eyes at the younger.

“Hey,” Hueningkai said as he entered the room. “You guys look like you’re having fun.”

“We are, aren’t we?” Beomgyu said as he glanced at Yoonjae. "Yoonjae, you having fun?"

“Yeah.” Yoonjae agreed. “Dinosaurs are so cool.”

“Well, dinner’s ready. Do you want to come with me and see what we have?” Hueningkai asked, offering a hand to Yoonjae.

“Hmm, sure,” Yoonjae said with a shrug, abandoning Yeonjun and Beomgyu behind him. Hueningkai’s smile grew wider. He was impressed with how much swag the little kid had in him.

They walked hand in hand and Hueningkai could feel how tiny Yoonjae’s hands were in his. He even had to bend a little to accommodate Yoonjae so that the three-year-old wouldn’t have to walk on his tippy toes. Right then, Hueningkai tried so hard to suppress his squeals over how adorable little boy was.

“I see cake!” Yoonjae said, letting go of Hueningkai’s hand as he approached the dining table. His legs might be little but they were very, very quick.

“Yah, why’d you take it out!” Soobin hissed at Taehyun, quickly trying to obstruct the cake with his body. “Put it back. That’s supposed to be his reward _after_ eating the broccoli.”

“Right, sorry!” Taehyun said.

Luckily, Yoonjae didn’t press on as Soobin helped him sit on the chair with a little cushion underneath so that he could reach for the food on the table.

The dishes on the table were by no means grand but Soobin was proud that they were able to make so much within a short time. A bowl of steamed broccolis was placed at the center of the table, catching everyone’s attention.

“It’s an eyesore,” Beomgyu said in a hushed voice, staring pointedly at the bowl. “It looks greener than usual, too.”

“I’m starting to think that this mission isn’t for the baby but for us instead,” Yeonjun said, echoing the same dislike for the vegetable. He scooped some of the broccoli into his plate, nonetheless. “How is it so green? It’s almost alien green.”

“What did the poor broccoli do to deserve so much hate?” Taehyun wondered aloud as he took his seat.

“Okay, that’s enough trash talk for today. Let’s eat!” Soobin said.

The rest of the members helped themselves to the dishes as Soobin scooped up a portion of everything for Yoonjae.

“Yoonjae-ah, here’s your plate,” Soobin said. “Look, there’s seaweed too!”

“Ah, smart.” Hueningkai said between mouthfuls from the other end of the table. “Incorporating his favourite food to ease the blow.”

“My idea.” Taehyun said with a wink.

“Oooh,” Yoonjae seemed happy to find sheets of crispy seaweed on his plate. He ate them with rice and soup alternatingly, however not once touching the broccolis Soobin had placed on one of the sides.

“How about trying those broccolis, hmm?” Yeonjun asked the little boy. “They look so yummy.”

“So, so yummy, mm mmmmm.” Soobin repeated, smacking his lips together.

“Soobin-ah, you’re overselling it,” Yeonjun quipped. “Tone down your acting.”

Soobin just rolled his eyes at the older, stuffing a broccoli into his mouth.

Yoonjae looked at the broccoli with an unsure expression. “I don’t like it… I want more seaweed.”

“But it’s good Yoonjae-ah, you should try it.” Soobin persuaded.

“No.” Yoonjae was indignant and turned away, refusing to look at Soobin.

“Uh-oh,” Hueningkai said. “I spoke too soon.”

“Yoonjae-ah, they’re so delicious. Look!” Soobin tried again, waving his hand at Yoonjae to catch his attention. “Look at hyung, hyung will eat it.”

Soobin used his chopsticks to reach for a broccoli and made a show as he ate the vegetable. He pretended it was a sweet chocolate dessert and started making appreciative noises as he chewed. Hueningkai looked absolutely horrified at Soobin’s attempt at acting.

“Now it’s Yeonjun hyung’s turn!” Soobin said once his little show was over, smirking at the other.

Yoonjae’s gaze quickly moved from Soobin to Yeonjun. Never had Yeonjun felt like he was being stared down so hard.

“O-kaaaayy,” Yeonjun laughed nervously before taking the piece of broccoli into his mouth. He chewed slowly, almost painfully, but still smiling at Yoonjae who was still staring at him. “Wow, you’re right, Soobin-ah. Best broccolis I’ve ever tasted!”

“Wow, really, hyung?” Beomgyu asked playfully.

“Best broccolis on this planet, I think!” Yeonjun exclaimed, keeping up with the act.

“Right?” Soobin said with a laugh. “Will you try one, Yoonjae?”

“Hmmm… Other hyung?” Yoonjae asked, as he pointed at the other side of the table with his little finger.

Like a deer caught in the headlights, Taehyun blinked for a bit before reaching for a broccoli. He quickly shoved it in his mouth, making sure Yoonjae saw that he was eating it deliciously. “All done!” Taehyun said brightly. “That was so good, Yoonjae-ah.”

Yoonjae appeared less peeved and more intrigued now.

“And other hyung?” Yoonjae asked again, now pointing at Hueningkai and Beomgyu’s direction.

“You heard the kid, eat up,” Yeonjun muttered from across the table.

“Your wish is my command,” Beomgyu said as he popped a piece into his mouth. Hueningkai also did the same and gave Yoonjae a thumbs up. “Mmm mmm, yummy indeed. Never have I tasted something this heavenly.”

“And now it’s Yoonjae’s turn.” Taehyun said in a sing-song voice.

After a beat of silence, Yoonjae brought his fingers to the broccoli and pulled a small piece from the stem. He nibbled just a little in the beginning but later pressed the whole piece into his mouth.

All eyes were on him as he chewed.

“Mmmm… yummy,” Yoonjae finally said in a soft voice. The whole table erupted in cheers and laughter, the members so obviously pleased that they were able to get Yoonjae to eat the vegetables.

“Oh, is this how a proud parent feels like?” Soobin found himself saying as he watched Yoonjae eat the remaining pieces. “I can feel tears coming.”

“Good job, Yoonjae-ah,” Beomgyu cooed with a smile. “You’re so good at eating your veggies!”

“How about another one?” Yeonjun asked, pushing his luck as he picked another piece of broccoli. “It’s so good, right?”

“Okay,” Yoonjae said without protest. “And seaweed, please.”

Yeonjun couldn’t help but laugh at the three-year-old’s firm demand. “Okay, I’ll give you more seaweed too.”

Taehyun was even able to snap a picture of Yoonjae successfully eating the broccoli. The production team were definitely going to edit whatever footage they have from the cameras but Taehyun wanted them to make their own memories together with Yoonjae too.

“So is it time to take the reward out?” Hueningkai asked Soobin excitedly.

“You bet. I think we all deserve it.”

***

It was nearly time for bed and Taehyun helped Yoonjae get cleaned up and dressed in his pajamas while the rest of the members tidied up the mess in the kitchen. Taehyun noticed that there were two sets of pajamas packed in the child’s little bag.

“Which one do you want to wear, Yoonjae-ah?” Taehyun asked as he held up the two pieces of clothing. One had patterns of a red firetruck, and the other patterns of a white rabbit.

“Hmmm. Rabbit!” Yoonjae said with a clap.

“Rabbit it is,” Taehyun said, smiling brightly at the other. “You like rabbits?”

“Yep,” Yoonjae said, popping the ‘p’ sound. “I met a rabbit at the farm.”

“Was it a cute rabbit?” Taehyun asked as he brushed the boy’s hair.

“Yes, the rabbit goes hop hop hop!” Yoonjae exclaimed and he began hopping around Taehyun.

Soon, Taehyun was hopping along with him, singing _‘hop, hop, hop’_ with Yoonjae giggling behind him. Once they were done dressing up, Taehyun then lifted Yoonjae in his arms and brought him to the living room to join the rest of the members. 

“Yoonjae, you’ll be sleeping with Yeonjun hyung tonight, okay?” Taehyun said as he placed him on one of their sofas.

“Yeonjun hyung’s snores are kind of loud though, is that even a good idea?” Hueningkai said teasingly as Yeonjun stared daggers at him.

Yoonjae then climbed off the sofa to walk towards the tent they had set up in the living room. “I want to sleep in here.”

“The tent?”

“Yes. It’s pretty.”

“Ohhh, well I guess he could,” Soobin said, voice a little unsure. “But someone has to accompany him if he wants to sleep here tonight.”

“Yoonjae-ah, which hyung do you want to stay with you here?” Beomgyu asked as he brushed Yoonjae’s rather long hair away from his face. “Your favourite hyung right? I’m your favourite hyung?”

“Is this really the time to ask him who his favourite is?” Taehyun interrupted as he crouched down. “It’s me, right, Yoonjae-ah? I’m your favourite?”

“Everybody can sleep here,” Yoonjae said, ignoring the squabble and attempted to pull Beomgyu into the tent. “Come innnnn.”

“Everybody in the tent?” Beomgyu asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Mmhmm,” Yoonjae nodded as he toddled around the soft cushions.

“It’s going to be a tight fit for even just one of us to join him in there…” Yeonjun said, inspecting the tent.

“We don’t have to join him in the tent. Let’s bring our blankets and pillows here! We can have a sleepover, like the ones we used to have as kids.” Hueningkai said excitedly.

“So we’re all sleeping out here, then?” Taehyun asked.

“It wouldn’t hurt, I guess. It’s just for tonight.” Soobin said with a shrug.

And so the members hauled all the pillows and blankets they could find in their apartment before spreading it out on the floor, all around Yoonjae’s little tent.

“He’s like a young prince and we’re his nightguards,” Taehyun said as he watched Yoonjae and Hueningkai play with the stuffed animals.

“I’ll eat you up! Gobble gobble,” Hueningkai said in a high voice, causing Yoonjae to shriek in delight.

“Prince Yoonjae, it’s time for bed,” Yeonjun said as he got up to tuck the boy to sleep. “Hueningie hyung is tired and needs to sleep now.”

“Are you sleepy, Huening hyung?” Yoonjae asked, craning his neck to look at the older.

“I am not slee- ow!” Hueningkai said as Beomgyu swatted him on the arm. “Ohhh, yessss, I’m so sleepy,” He even fake-yawned for more effect. “I think I’ll go to sleep now, Yoonjae-ah.”

Yoonjae watched the other silently as he bit his lip in deep thought. All of a sudden, the toddler started crying.

The members were all frozen in place, unsure of what to do or what was happening. It was a quiet sob at first but soon turned into a loud wail. Soobin was the first to move close to Yoonjae to comfort him.

“Yoonjae-ah, what’s wrong?” Soobin asked gently as he sat across the three-year-old. Yoonjae continued crying, tears staining his red round cheeks.

“Why are you crying?” Soobin asked again but Yoonjae refused to reply and kept crying.

The five of them were definitely startled, never before handling a crying child on their own.

Soobin held out his arms and waited until Yoonjae walked into his embrace. Soobin hugged the little boy tightly and slowly rubbed a hand over his small back, whispering words softly to soothe his cries.

“Hey, it’s okay, Yoonjae-ah,” Soobin cooed, still holding Yoonjae close to him. “You’re okay.”

“I think he misses his mother,” Taehyun said quietly to Beomgyu. “It’s his first time spending a night with us.”

“I feel so sad right now,” Beomgyu said and moved to hug Hueningkai who was next to him. “My heart hurts for him.”

“You’re such a big baby,” Hueningkai said jokingly.

Yoonjae finally stopped sobbing as he untangled his tiny arms from around Soobin’s neck. He rubbed his eyes with the sleeves of his pajamas, looking so cute. Soobin had to chuckle as he helped the three-year-old wipe his wet cheeks with his hand.

“You feel better now, kiddo?” Yeonjun asked, holding out a hand for Yoonjae to take.

“Yeah…” Yoonjae said, voice a little cracked as he reached out for Yeonjun.

“That’s good,” Yeonjun said, lifting Yoonjae swiftly in his arms. “You’re so grown up Yoonjae-ah. Even us hyungs find it hard to stop crying sometimes, you know.”

“Soobin hyung is a living proof!”

“Yah!”

Yoonjae remained leaning against Yeonjun’s shoulder and appeared to be stifling a yawn.

“I want to play again tomorrow.” Yoonjae finally said, his shiny doe eyes looking at his hyungs around the room.

“Of course we’ll play again tomorrow,” Soobin said, melting at the sight of the small boy in his baby blue rabbit pajamas in Yeonjun’s arms. “We promise. We’ll even eat pancakes together in the morning.”

“No more veggies?” Yoonjae asked, scrunching his nose a little.

“Uh- not tomorrow morning. But veggies are still good, don’t you think? So yummy. Yum yum.” Soobin quickly added, giving Yoonjae an assuring smile.

“Nice save,” Beomgyu cackled behind him.

“Okay.” Yoonjae said as Yeonjun brought him to the tent. Yoonjae finally laid down inside, hugging the soft pillows close to himself. His eyes fell shut as Yeonjun continued to pat him gently on the back. Yeonjun stayed seated close to Yoonjae as he hummed a low tune, watching the small boy drift to sleep.

“Good night, little one. Sweet dreams.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that wraps up their first ever mission! More to come soon *-*


	3. One Tough Cookie

It was sometime in the morning when Hueningkai felt something brush against his left cheek. Even so, he paid no mind as his eyelids were still heavy from sleep. It has been a while since he last slept in and he wanted to savour every moment possible.

Suddenly he felt a pretty hefty weight pressed against his chest. He blinked an eye open and was surprised to be greeted by tufts of soft brown hair nuzzling against the side of his face.

“Yoon-?” Hueningkai croaked, fighting his tired eyes. “S’that you?”

Yoonjae lifted his head from where he was resting and gave the other a wide mischievous smile. “G’morning, hyung.”

“Good morning to you, too, little man,” Hueningkai said as he ruffled the toddler’s hair. “Sleep well?”

Yoonjae grunted in reply before deciding to move away from Hueningkai’s side, his eyes set on a new target to bother.

Hueningkai watched as the three-year-old plopped himself on Beomgyu’s stomach, earning a wince from the latter who wasn’t even given a chance to wake up before the assault. “Ow!”

“Sorry,” Yoonjae giggled and quickly touched Beomgyu’s cheek in apology. “Good morning!”

“So this is how you wake people up, huh?” Beomgyu said before tickling Yoonjae’s sides, causing the toddler to collapse into fits of giggles on top of him.

“Oh good, you guys are finally awake,” Soobin said as he entered the living room, looking fondly at Yoonjae playing with Beomgyu. “Thank you, Yoonjae, for waking up our resident sleeping beauties.”

“Ah, hyung!” Hueningkai pouted.

“I made some pancakes. Come to the table quick before Yeonjun hyung devours them all.” Soobin said as he walked back to the kitchen.

“I can hear you!” they heard Yeonjun shout in the distance. “And you’re right!”

Within a second, Hueningkai and Beomgyu scrambled to the kitchen with Yoonjae in tow, not wanting to miss out on Soobin’s special pancakes.

***

“Is there a mission today, before Yoonjae’s mom arrives to pick him up?” Taehyun asked as took a bite of his maple syrup covered pancake.

The rest of the members and Yoonjae were sitting at the table as well, each and every one of them demolishing their own stacks of pancakes.

“Hmm, there should be one I guess,” Soobin said, cocking his head to the side. “I have not checked my phone all morning. Let’s see….”

**MISSION: SING AND PERFORM FOR YOONJAE**

“Huh? This sounds easy enough.” Soobin said as he scrolled through his phone. “We can pull this off in 5 minutes, no sweat.”

“What does it say?” Yeonjun asked, head craning to look at the other’s phone screen. “Let me see!”

“We have to sing and perform for Yoonjae. And – I can’t see if you keep getting in my way like this –” Soobin said as he pushed Yeonjun’s head away from blocking his view. “Wait, there’s an additional note below.”

**(RULE: YOONJAE MUST CLAP AT THE END OF THE PERFORMANCE WITHOUT BEING TOLD BY THE MEMBERS)**

“Okay, not so easy now,” Soobin said with a sigh. “We have to get him to clap at the end of our performance without asking him to.”

“What time is it now? We should try it out soon before his mother gets here.” Beomgyu said, already standing up to clean his plate.

“His mother will come pick him up around noon I think. We’ve got ourselves a few hours till then.” Taehyun supplied.

“Hey, what happens if we don’t complete our missions in time?” Hueningkai asked. “I can’t remember what the producer said during the briefing.”

“We’d have to carry out penalties determined by the staff.” Taehyun replied as he sipped on his coffee.

“I hope we never have to go through that. During that one TV show we went on previously, I had to suffer drinking a super gross concoction,” Yeonjun said in disgust. “My tongue still remembers the taste, ugh.”

“Ugh!” Yoonjae repeated with a laugh.

“You’re copying me now, hmm?” Yeonjun asked the toddler playfully, poking him gently on the nose. “You look like a mess right now, Yoonjae-ah. How did you even get chocolate in your hair?”

Soobin had to suppress his giggles as he studied the toddler’s face and hands that were covered in chocolate syrup from eating the pancakes. Yoonjae also had his tongue out, probably from attempting to lick his chocolate-covered elbow. A cute mess indeed.

“Let’s get you cleaned, baby,” Soobin said as he carried Yoonjae to the bathroom, putting some distance between them in fear that the three-year-old would smear chocolate all over him. “We’ll meet you guys in the living room in 10 minutes.”

***

The five members were in the living room, dancing to one of their songs as Yoonjae sat in front of them on their large sofa. It was an uncanny depiction of a boss baby watching over his subordinates; in fact it was almost akin to an audition program given how serious Yoonjae looked at them as they danced.

This was the third performance they had put on for the toddler, having performed ‘ _Crown_ ’ and ‘ _New Rules_ ’ earlier. Though Yoonjae was a little intrigued at their movements, he didn’t clap at all, much to the five members’ disappointment. They were huffing and panting from the tiring choreography, but the three-year-old really couldn’t care less.

Beomgyu then suggested for them to sing ‘ _Fairy of Shampoo_ ’. He argued that it was a good song to sing to the toddler as the choreography wasn’t too difficult and the music more soft compared to their other ones. “Maybe he doesn’t like upbeat, loud music, you know?”

The members went with it, not knowing what else to do. They told Yoonjae to watch them again – the three-year-old surprisingly obedient at their orders.

“ _Geunyeoman bomyeon_ ,” Soobin sang melodiously, throwing a wink to his one-man (no, one-baby) audience. “ _Oeropji anha~_ ”

As if on cue, Yoonjae yawned like a little baby bird.

“Yah!” Soobin exclaimed, cheeks heating in embarrassment after singing his part, still dancing to the music. “Yoonjae-ah, are you sleepy already?”

“How can he fall asleep like this? My pride is hurting!” Beomgyu added with a laugh as he continued to dance. 

“He’s so hard to please,” Taehyun laughed as well, nearly stumbling into Hueningkai. “This is worse than any of our company evaluations."

They continued singing and dancing to nearly half the song but Yoonjae still wasn’t very impressed. He yawned again, this time the yawn was even bigger than before.

“You know what, I’m not having this,” Soobin said as he cut the song and stopped dancing completely. “It's been three songs and he still isn't clapping. We need a change of strategy. A new game plan.”

“Totally. How about we avoid singing our own songs?” Yeonjun asked, rubbing a hand to his neck. “The mission never specified what song we had to sing, right?”

“It has to be something Yoonjae would like.” Hueningkai said. “Something he would naturally clap to.”

“If that’s the case, I know this one song we could sing,” Taehyun suggested. “This one song rules them all.”

“What song is that?” Soobin asked in interest.

“You guys really don’t know?”

“No.”

“It’s… Baby Shark.”

***

“Oh my god, you’re brilliant,” Beomgyu exclaimed at Taehyun. “The whole choreography of this song is just us clapping left and right. Of course he’s going to follow what we’re doing.”

“I know,” Taehyun said with a chuckle as he pushed his hair back. “Look at him go.”

Surely enough, in the middle of their dance formation, Yoonjae was there too, clapping happily.

“Mission is a success!” Hueningkai said excitedly as he twirled Yoonjae around in circles. “Yoonjae is now one entertained, happy baby.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t be singing typical pop songs anymore,” Yeonjun said. “Maybe this is our calling! We should venture into kids’ songs from now on.”

“I’d like to see that.” Soobin chuckled. “Yoonjae, are you enjoying this?”

“Yes!” Yoonjae exclaimed. “I love this song.”

“Yoonjae, do you know any dance moves? Can you dance for us?” Beomgyu asked, looking at the toddler.

Yoonjae then waved his arms in the air as he stomped his feet on the ground.

“Okay, you're obviously not cut out for the idol scene just yet,” Beomgyu laughed as he watched the toddler dance. “We can teach you how to dance when you’re older.”

Oblivious to his hyungs’ attention, Yoonjae continued dancing happily. Once they were all tired out from dancing, they sat together in one big lump on the sofa and watched cartoons on TV together before it was time for Yoonjae to leave.

***

It was another day at the office. The members have just returned from a fitting at a studio for an upcoming schedule. They had some free time before they had to practice their dances so they decided to order some fried chicken.

“Fried chicken!! Oh how I’ve missed you!” Hueningkai yelled when he saw the boxes Taehyun brought in.

“Go wash your hands first,” Taehyun said as Hueningkai approached him. “You were playing with clay a while ago, weren’t you?”

“It’s was Beomgyu’s idea,” Hueningkai sniffed as he went away to do as told.

“Hyung, when are we seeing Yoonjae again?” Taehyun asked Soobin, placing the boxes of food on the table.

“Next weekend,” Soobin said, looking up from a game he was playing on his phone. “Should we make plans?”

“Next weekend? Really? But Beomgyu, Hueningie and I have our individual filming scheduled that Saturday.”

“Yeah, and I know that schedule is unavoidable, since it’s for one of our major endorsers,” Soobin said, sighing a little. “But it’s been sorted out. Our company informed the production crew about it and they said it wouldn’t be a problem for Yoonjae to film with just me and Yeonjun first on Saturday. The three of you will join us on Sunday once you’re all done with your schedules.”

“That’s a relief, I thought we’d had to reschedule the whole thing,” Taehyun said as he sat down next to the older. “So. What do you guys plan to do on Saturday?”

“Probably stay in? Or maybe go out for dinner together on Saturday, we haven’t decided.” Soobin said. “As for our plans on Sunday, what do you guys want to do? Any thoughts?”

“Let’s go to the water park together on Sunday.” Yeonjun suddenly suggested; he was sitting on a massage chair in the far corner of the room. Taehyun was surprised Yeonjun was even listening as he had his eyes closed the entire time.

“Kids love water. Adults love water.” Yeonjun said again.

“I haven’t gone to a water park in ages,” Taehyun said.

“All the more reason to go!” Yeonjun exclaimed, still enjoying the massage.

“Okay, I’ll try suggesting that to the production team later,” Soobin said as he typed the idea into his phone. “We could use a little fun in the sun.”

***

“It’s confirmed, we’re going to a water park this Sunday,” Beomgyu said as he read the text message he received on his phone.

Beomgyu and Yeonjun were at the mall, dressed smartly in caps and masks to avoid being recognized. Their schedule was cleared that weekday morning and they decided to sneak in a little shopping time to de-stress.

“Aw yeah,” Yeonjun said, punching in the air. “Ever since I became a trainee, I haven’t been able to go to places like the water park.”

“Same here,” Beomgyu nodded. “We’re just so busy these days and it’s impossible with the amount of people around.”

“Will they shut down the whole place for us?” Yeonjun asked.

“No, just a part of it – the kiddy zone,” Beomgyu said with a laugh. “All the other rides aren’t suitable for Yoonjae. It’s still a pretty big place, though – they even have a wave pool.”

“Should we get something for Yoonjae while we're here? Swimming trunks?” Yeonjun asked as he entered a clothing store.

“In here?” Beomgyu deadpanned.

“Yeah.”

“In this freaking Burberry store?”

“Yeah, why?”

“It’s expensive!”

Yeonjun finally reached the kids’ section and found a stylish pair of tan shorts with the signature plaid pattern all over it.

“But look at it. Isn’t it so cute?” Yeonjun asked, holding up the material.

“Look at the price tag, hyung, and tell me if it’s still cute.”

Yeonjun peeked at the tag. “Yep, still cute.”

“Hyung, you can’t buy him designer swimming trunks, no matter how cute they look. He’s going to grow out of them within a few months.” Beomgyu reasoned.

“Fine.” Yeonjun said with a pout. “How about these?”

“Designer baby hats are the same thing!”

“These?”

“Seriously hyung, designer flip-flops? We can get something like that at the market for a hundred times less!”

“You’re exaggerating,” Yeonjun said accusingly as he placed the footwear back on one of the shelves. “Okay, okay. We’ll just look elsewhere.”

“You’re lucky I followed you to the mall today.” Beomgyu said, narrowing his eyes at the other. “Imagine what would happen if you went alone to shop for Yoonjae.”

“Yoonjae would be dripping in finesse,” Yeonjun remarked lazily. “I said what I said.”

Beomgyu laughed as they left the store to look for food instead.

“Yoonjae is going to be so happy once he finds out where we’re taking him. I can’t wait to see him!” Beomgyu said.

“Me too, Beomgyu-ah,” Yeonjun said with a smile. “We’re going to have so much fun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to stream CYSM!! <3


	4. Dinner for Three

“This is where we’re having dinner?” Soobin said, footsteps stopping abruptly in front of a posh-looking building. “Hyung, when I told you to pick out the place, I didn’t imagine it would be here.”

“What’s wrong with this place?” Yeonjun asked, as he opened the door of the building for the both of them to enter. “You have something against nice restaurants?”

Upon entering, Soobin observed that the lighting of the restaurant was rather dim, making everything appear darker than they should. The interior was definitely beautiful – there were a lot of artistic elements and textured fittings all around. The delicious smell of food wafted through the air and he could hear classical music played from the speakers, hidden by the exposed wooden beams on the ceiling.

“It’s a little fancy, is all,” Soobin said with a sniff. “You could take Yoonjae to a McDonald’s and he wouldn’t know the difference.”

“Do you have a reservation?” A lady asked them at the entrance.

“Yes, under Choi Yeonjun. I believe we booked a private room?” Yeonjun asked, flashing his brightest smile.

“Ah, yes,” the lady nodded in response. “Someone came in earlier to set up the cameras. I’ll show you both to the room. It’s located at the very back of the restaurant.”

This satisfied Soobin, knowing that their time with Yoonjae would be free from any prying eyes or any sort of unwanted attention. “Thank you.”

Once they were seated, the lady left the both of them to order before excusing herself to get them some water.

“What should we order?” Soobin wondered as he scanned the menu in front of him.

“I’m starving, so… steak?” Yeonjun said. “And pasta. And soft-shell crab. And maybe pie?”

“Are you sure we should be getting all that? That’s a lot of food for just the three of us,” Soobin said with a frown. “And it’s actually just for two of us, Yoonjae wouldn’t eat much.”

“You don’t know that, he literally scarfed down his stacks of pancakes the last time we ate together.” Yeonjun said.

“That was an exception, my pancakes are to die for, you know that.” Soobin said with a smirk, his eyes twinkling.

“Yoonjae was just hungry that time, your cooking skills had nothing to do with it.” Yeonjun scoffed.

“Hyung, even you kept asking for seconds. I had to make a new batch of pancakes!”

“Yeah, so I did. I forgot about that,” Yeonjun said, rolling his eyes at the other. “Let’s just order now.”

***

“Hey, little one,” Soobin cooed when Yeonjun brought Yoonjae to the room. Yeonjun was carrying the toddler in one hand and his overnight bag in another.

“His mother told me he just woke up from a nap,” Yeonjun said as he placed the toddler into the high chair situated between him and Soobin. “So he’s a bit moody right now.”

“Is that so? Did you sleep well, Yoonjae-ah?” Soobin asked, reaching out to hold the toddler’s hand.

Yoonjae whined a little and Soobin was careful to react.

“Is hyung bothering you?” Soobin asked, pushing away Yoonjae’s hair from his eyes.

Yoonjae however simply pouted, not paying the other any attention.

Soobin and Yeonjun decided not to bother him any further and waited patiently for their food to arrive instead. Once all the dishes were placed on their table, Yeonjun started fixing a small plate for Yoonjae.

“This is Yoonjae’s,” Yeonjun declared as he placed the kid’s plate on the high chair. “And this is hyung’s.”

Yoonjae seemed hesitant at first, Soobin guessed this was due to the fact that it did not look like the toddler’s typical dinner (trust Yeonjun to go all _bougie_ on their first dinner out, Soobin thought) but once Yoonjae started eating, he appeared much happier and more chatty even.

“Hyung… what’s this?” Yoonjae asked tentatively as he pointed to something on his plate.

“That’s crab meat, sweetie,” Soobin said with a smile. “You know what’s a crab right?”

Yeonjun then started moving his hands like they were claws, eliciting cute giggles from the toddler.

“I like crab,” Yoonjae decided as he licked on his fingers. After a while, he pointed to his plate again. “What is this?”

“Carbonara,” Yeonjun supplied. “Can you say carbonara?”

“-nara.” Yoonjae said distractedly as he tried to shove the creamy noodles into his mouth.

“Great job!” Yeonjun said with a laugh. “You’re eating so well, Yoonjae-ah.”

Yoonjae’s mouth and nose was covered in sauce from eating and Soobin had to wipe everything off with his napkin. After he was clean again, Yoonjae said “thank you” with the littlest voice.

“Yoonjae-ah, you’re so polite.” Yeonjun said again, smiling. "Such a good boy."

Soobin narrowed his eyes at the other from across the table at the compliment.

“Huh, it’s so easy for Yoonjae get compliments out of you,” Soobin said almost accusingly. “But when I do something great, you hardly say anything.”

“Do you really need me complimenting you?” Yeonjun teased. “You know well yourself when you’re doing a good job.”

“No, I don’t.” Soobin said with a pout. 

“You’re doing a good job now,” Yeonjun said softly. “You’re really good with kids. Look at Yoonjae. I’ve never seen a more well-fed little monster.”

“Yeah?” Soobin asked shyly. “Okay, I’ll take that.”

“Hey, I was being sincere!”

“And I’m saying thank you.” Soobin said, laughing a little.

Suddenly, a piece of meat flew across the table.

“Yoonjae, we do not play with food!” Soobin chastised. His bright smile instantly vanished as he gave the toddler a stern look.

“Sorry, hyung,” Yoonjae said apologetically, his eyes threatening to water already.

“It’s wrong to play with food like that, Yoonjae-ah.” Soobin said, looking intently at the three-year-old. “You won’t do that again?”

Yoonjae shook his head.

“You promise?”

“Promise,” Yoonjae said softly, this time a tear escaping his eyes.

Yeonjun covered a smile behind the hand over his mouth, the scene reminding him of the time when Soobin scolded the younger members for throwing potato chips at each other while they were watching TV at their dormitory.

“Oh, come here,” Soobin said as he lifted Yoonjae out of his chair before hugging him tightly to his chest. “Food is precious okay, baby. We don’t want to waste food. You understand hyung, right?”

Yoonjae nodded against Soobin’s shoulders, his tears staining Soobin’s cashmere sweater. Soobin didn’t care and kept soothing the toddler’s cries.

“Hyung loves you, you know that?” Soobin said, looking down at the toddler.

Yoonjae nodded again, resting comfortably in Soobin’s embrace.

Soobin and Yeonjun quickly finished their food after that, feeding Yoonjae a little more as they did.

“Now that we’re done with dinner, how about we go walk around for a bit?” Yeonjun suggested. “I think the three of us could use some fresh air.”

“Where do you want to go? I’ll need to inform the staff.” Soobin said, still holding Yoonjae in his arms.

“Hmm… How about Han River? It's been a while since we've last been there.” Yeonjun asked.

“Okay, call!”

***

“Yoonjae-ah, don’t go too far!” Yeonjun called.

It was a chilly night out. They were walking along the river, the broad night sky in view and bright lights of the street lamps illuminating their way. Yoonjae was running ahead of them, seemingly excited to be outdoors during the night. A cameraman followed closely as they watched Yoonjae from afar.

“This is nice,” Soobin remarked as he took a deep breath. “We haven’t been here since our trainee days. And that's ages ago.”

“Yeah, it reminds of those times too,” Yeonjun said thoughtfully. “We used to come here a lot after practice to relax. We’d eat ramen and just talk until morning. Hueningie fell down somewhere near that bench.”

“I remember that!” Soobin said with a laugh, looking where Yeonjun had pointed to. “He was so embarrassed because he was trying to show us something cool. That big baby.”

“He was so tiny back then, I can’t believe he grew up so much.” Yeonjun said.

“Remember that time you ranked first during evaluations?” Soobin asked.

“What do you mean? I always ranked first.” Yeonjun said playfully.

“Ugh,” Soobin said in mock disgust. “No, I mean the time you bought us all ice-cream after you ranked first. It was here, wasn’t it? The ice-cream from that little stall over there?”

“Yeah, it was so good – oh, I just got a message,” Yeonjun said, suddenly feeling his phone vibrate. “It’s from the production crew.”

**MISSION: PLAY ROCK PAPER SCISSORS, LOSER HAS TO GIVE YOONJAE A PIGGYBACK RIDE FOR AS LONG AS YOONJAE WANTS**

“Ah, look what we got ourselves into,” Yeonjun said with a low whistle, showing Soobin his phone screen.

“That kid isn’t light,” Soobin said, glancing at the toddler in a distance. “I can feel my back aching already.”

Yoonjae then came towards them, asking Soobin to lift him up.

“Okay baby, you’re going to be my good luck charm,” Soobin said as he carried Yoonjae. “I’m gonna need it to win against Yeonjun hyung.”

“You ready?”

“I’m ready.”

“Okay,” Yeonjun said, looking extremely confident. “Rock paper scissors!”

The both of them showed rock at the same time, causing nervous laughter.

“One more time.” Soobin said with a hand hiding behind his back.

“Rock paper scissors!”

“Ahh! I win! I win!” Soobin said gleefully, as he lifted Yoonjae high in the air. “Yoonjae-ah, hyung won!”

“I can’t believe this,” Yeonjun sighed in defeat, both his hands covering his face.

“Yoonjae-ah, Yeonjun hyung will be giving you a piggyback ride now,” Soobin said as he snuggled the toddler in his arms. “For as long as you like.”

“How long is that going to be? Ten minutes tops?” Yeonjun asked as he mentally prepared himself.

“I think if he wants you to give him a piggyback ride until he goes to bed, you can’t say no. If he wants you to hold him forever, you can't say no, too.” Soobin said, gently putting the three-year-old down. “It’s what the mission says, hyung.”

“I don’t think that is what the mission intended,” Yeonjun muttered as he crouched down to meet Yoonjae’s eye-level.

Yoonjae looked expectantly at Yeonjun, a small smile on his face.

“Yoonjae-ah, should hyung give you a piggyback ride?” Yeonjun asked, tilting his head as he reached out for the toddler.

“Yes!” Yoonjae exclaimed before running into Yeonjun’s outstretched arms. 

“Soobin-ssi you owe me a massage!”

***

The three of them walked around for a little while longer, Yoonjae happily resting against the back of Yeonjun’s shoulders. Their cheeks were flushed from the cold breeze but they were having too much of a good time to care.

Yeonjun even tried to race Soobin while carrying the three-year-old on his back, earning cute giggles from the younger. “Again! Again!” Yoonjae had said, much to Yeonjun’s horror but the older did not have the heart to deny the adorable toddler his wishes.

“Yah, hyung, stop running like that,” Soobin said, laughing at Yeonjun’s tired expression. “You won’t be able to move your legs in the morning if you keep this up!”

“I can’t say no to the little prince’s wishes,” Yeonjun said with a heave, Yoonjae still giggling happily without a care behind him. “This is your fault, anyway. You should have lost instead of me.”

Soobin was still laughing but he was quick to offer the other his help. “Give him to me, you look so worn out right now.”

“It’s alright,” Yeonjun said, waving his hand dismissively. “We’re about to head home, anyway. You good back there, Yoonjae?”

“Yeah,” Yoonjae said, his little hands clutching the back of Yeonjun’s jacket. He was looking especially tired too, from having too much fun playing.

“Okay, I think we can call it a night.” Soobin said and Yeonjun hummed in agreement.

***

“Is he asleep already?” Soobin asked as he entered Yeonjun’s room. He had just gotten out of the shower and his hair was still a little wet.

“Yeah, he fell asleep as soon as I placed him down,” Yeonjun said as he slowly got off his bed. “He must be really exhausted.”

Yoonjae looked completely at peace, lying down on Yeonjun’s bed. The rise and fall of his chest was the only movement they could see.

“He looks like an angel like this,” Soobin commented as he watched the sleeping three-year-old.

“He does, doesn’t he?” Yeonjun said, moving towards his closet to pick out more comfortable clothes. He winced a little as he stretched, body clearly sore from carrying the toddler around the whole night.

“Hyung, you look like a grandpa right now,” Soobin said with a chuckle. “How are you going to survive tomorrow?”

“Oh crap! The water park!” Yeonjun suddenly remembered. "I totally forgot about that."

“Shhh,” Soobin hissed as he swatted the other on the arm. “You're so loud, he’s still sleeping.”

“Okay, okay,” Yeonjun whispered back in defeat. “Guess we’re going to have to turn in early tonight if we want to get through tomorrow... the other three members already tire us out on a daily basis, and now we have to add Yoonjae into the mix.”

“Yeah, we’re going to need all the rest we can get,” Soobin agreed as he moved to leave Yeonjun’s bedroom. “I'm going to bed now. You should, too. Good night, grandpa hyung.”

“G’night, Soobin-ah... see you in the morning.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a while >.< thanks for reading! Kudos & comments are appreciated <3


	5. Please Don't Splash

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a while! I was really busy the past couple of weeks but now I'm not... so :D enjoy

“Hyung, where are we going?” Yoonjae asked, eyes wide as Taehyun strapped him into his car seat. He had a white beach hat and cute froggy sunglasses on, courtesy of his hyungs.

“We’re going to the water park,” Taehyun said, making sure the belts were tightened properly. Like Yoonjae, Taehyun was also wearing sunglasses. The older had flashy red sandals on paired together with shimmery silver shorts. His neon pink and blue Hawaiian shirt glittered under the sunlight.

“Why do you look like that?” Soobin asked, eyes squinting at Taehyun’s bright outfit as he approached them. “You look like a moving nightclub.”

“Beomgyu dressed me – don’t. Don’t even ask,” Taehyun said before Soobin could even open his mouth.

“He lost a bet,” Hueningkai said with a grin from the backseat, earning a groan from the other. “Taehyunnie doesn’t like losing bets.”

“What did you even bet on? You know what, I don’t even want to know.” Soobin said with a sigh, his hands up in the air. “We need to get on the road or we’ll never get to the water park in time.”

“Yoonjae, are you excited to go to the water park?” Hueningkai asked as he reached out to touch the toddler’s hand.

“Yeah,” Yoonjae smiled, his gummy teeth showing. “Is everyone going?”

“Yes, each and every one of your hyungs are going,” Taehyun said as he climbed into the seat next to Yoonjae’s. “You have to be on your best behaviour today, okay?”

“Okay.”

“No running?”

“No running.”

“Okay, atta boy,” Taehyun nodded, satisfied at the assurance.

“Seatbelts on, everyone,” Yeonjun cut in as he glanced at the members and Yoonjae from the rear view mirror. He was driving a minivan for the first time and it made him a little fidgety. Once the doors were all closed and locked, he immediately did a headcount.

“Relax, hyung,” Beomgyu said as buckled himself in the front seat. “You look tense.”

“I’m not tense, just tired,” Yeonjun sighed. “Yoonjae kept kicking me in bed last night. That kid... after all I’ve done for him.”

“And what exactly have you done for him?” Beomgyu asked wryly.

“Yah, I spent the whole night carrying him on my back,” Yeonjun said with a pout as he shifted the gear into reverse. “You and the younger ones are taking care of Yoonjae today. Me and Soobin are gonna hit the sauna. We deserve some rest after last night.”

“Fine with me,” Beomgyu said with a shrug. “We’ll show Yoonjae how it’s like to have _real_ fun.”

***

At the water park, the production crew assigned a few cameramen to follow the members and the producer agreed that Yeonjun and Soobin could film separately since they had sufficient footage of the two older members from the night before. In turn, Yoonjae was placed in the care of Beomgyu, Taehyun and Hueningkai.

“Guys, remember. Safety first, safety second, coolness third.” Soobin said to the younger members as they entered the water park. “What did I just say?”

“Safety, safety, coolness,” Hueningkai repeated as he counted them off with his fingers. “Got it, hyung.”

“Yoonjae, take care of these hyungs for me, okay?” Yeonjun said as he patted the toddler’s head. “Make sure they don’t run around. Or act like monkeys.”

“Hyung, where is the trust? Your words wound me, hyung,” Beomgyu said playfully as he cupped Yeonjun’s face in his hands. Yeonjun swatted the younger’s hands away before shaking his head.

“You see this, Yoonjae?” Yeonjun asked. “Please do hyung a favour and take care of them. Tell them to behave.”

“Relax, we got this,” Taehyun said as he waved a hand at the older members dismissively, the other hand holding Yoonjae firmly. “You two just go have fun. Go sweat in the sauna. Eat hard boiled eggs. Give each other massages.”

“Ugh, no thanks,” Soobin said with a sniff. “Yeonjun hyung’s terrible at that.”

“Am not!”

“Call us if you need anything, alright?” Soobin said, ignoring Yeonjun completely. “See you guys later! Bye Yoonjae! Hyung will see you soon.”

“Bye hyungie!” Yoonjae said softly as he waved his little hand, his other hand still gripping Taehyun’s leg.

“Now. Which ride should we go on first?” Taehyun asked as he studied the water park directory.

“The Viking!” Beomgyu said, his eyes twinkling as he eyed the ride from a distance.

“Hyung, we’ve got a kid, we can’t ride that,” Hueningkai said impatiently as he tugged on Beomgyu’s hand before the older could walk any further.

“Oh yeah, I forgot.”

“Let’s try the kids’ water slides first, since it’s the nearest from here,” Taehyun said, pointing at the map in the directory.

“Okay. Can we ride the Lazy River last?” Hueningkai suggested. “I remember enjoying it the most when I was younger. We could get two of those big round floats to fit the four of us.”

“Yeah sure, we’ll ride the Lazy River last.” Taehyun agreed. “Come on, Yoonjae. It’s splash time!”

***

“Oh my god, which part of this river is lazy?” Taehyun asked as he clung onto Beomgyu’s back on the float for his dear life. “This is a complete one-eighty from the water slides! We’re getting attacked by water more and more as we go in.”

“I don’t know,” Hueningkai shouted, his arms wrapped around Yoonjae securely. “But this boy sure is loving it.”

“More! More!” Yoonjae squealed as their floats drifted underneath a waterfall.

“Stop using me as a shield!” Beomgyu said as he pinched Taehyun’s thigh.

“I don’t like getting wet.” Taehyun said with a grimace. “Look at my hair! It looks like seaweed.”

“Yeah? Well, I don’t like having to swallow a gallon of water every time you try to avoid the water sprays.”

“You’re being dramatic.”

“Am I?”

“Yes, you are!” Taehyun said as he scooped some water to splash at Beomgyu.

“You’re more dramatic than I am!” Beomgyu splashed back.

“Wanna bet?!”

“Wanna lose again like the last time?!”

Suddenly, Beomgyu and Taehyun were furiously splashing each other in the middle of the man-made river, oblivious to their surroundings. This left Hueningkai very, very wet as he curved his body around Yoonjae so that the boy would not be drenched.

“Yah! Yah! Stop!” Hueningkai yelled as he reached out to break off the splash battle, clearly having enough of his troublesome members and their antics.

“Yah, yah!” Yoonjae echoed as he made little splashes of his own in their direction. “Behave!”

This sobered Taehyun and Beomgyu up a bit, their splashes gradually subsiding.

“Sorry… I got carried away,” Taehyun said with a gulp as he climbed back onto the float, having fallen down earlier due to Beomgyu’s ruthless splashing.

“Me too,” Beomgyu said with a small smile as he helped pull Taehyun back onto the float. “Sorry, Yoonjae. Hyungs will behave better from now on.”

“Yeonjun hyung was right. It’s Yoonjae supervising us, not the other way around.” Hueningkai chuckled. They were reaching the end of the ride and could see the station where they had to lift their floats off. However Yoonjae was still on a high from the ride as he gleefully kicked his legs in the water. “You’re having the time of your life aren’t you, Yoonjae?”

“This is so much fun,” Yoonjae said with a laugh as he dragged his hands in the water once they came to a halt. “Again!”

“O-oh… you want to go through the Lazy River… again?” Hueningkai asked apprehensively.

“Yes!” Yoonjae beamed. He was already pulling Hueningkai’s hand to the starting point.

“Alright,” Hueningkai said with an audible sigh before looking back at Taehyun and Beomgyu. “But you two better not re-enact the splash battle. For Yoonjae’s sake. And mine.”

“Behave!” Yoonjae said again.

His three hyungs laughed before proceeding to accompany him on the ride once more.

***

“Are you not worried?” Soobin asked as he watched Yeonjun lazily sipping on his iced tea. They were sitting cross-legged on the floor, enjoying the snacks they bought earlier.

“Why would I be worried?” Yeonjun asked. He uncrossed his legs for a moment, allowing them to stretch for a bit.

“We left the poor baby with those three.” Soobin said. “I hope they don’t lose him… oh my god, what if they already did?”

“Hey, look at me,” Yeonjun said, snapping the other to look at him. “They’ve got it under control... Those three may be a handful but they’re responsible when they need to be.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Soobin said with a resigned sigh. “I don’t know why I’m so worked up.”

“Soobin-ah, do you know what you need?”

“What?”

“A massage.”

“Don’t even try.”

“It’s your loss.”

“You know what,” Soobin said after a while. “I’m going to call them.” He whipped out his phone from the pocket of his shorts, quickly scanning his call log to call one of the three members.

“Do a video call,” Yeonjun instructed as he rested his chin on Soobin’s shoulders. “See if Yoonjae is still in one piece.”

“Ha ha, very funny.”

After a few beats, their call was picked up and suddenly the screen was filled completely with just Yoonjae’s face.

“Hey Yoonjae,” Soobin cooed, looking at the boy’s red cheeks. “Whatcha doing?”

“I’m sitting down,” Yoonjae said as peered at the screen. His hair was visibly wet and there were water droplets blurring the camera. “We’re at a pool.”

“Are you having fun?”

“Yeah! So much fun!” Yoonjae said with a wide grin.

“Where are the hyungs? Why didn’t they pick up the phone?” Yeonjun asked.

They watched as Yoonjae angled the phone to show his surroundings better. In the background, they could see Beomgyu, Taehyun and Hueningkai energetically splashing each other in the water. Their splashes were vicious and they were yelling at each other to stop.

“Oh my god,” Soobin said, his expression horrified. “What are those three doing?!”

“Don’t worry! They will stop.” Yoonjae said rather calmly.

“How do you know that?” Yeonjun asked as he watched the younger members get lost in their fight.

After a moment, Yoonjae turned his head to look at his three hyungs.

“Behave!!” Yoonjae shouted and like magic, the three of them immediately stop.

“Who’s that?” Beomgyu asked as he approached Yoonjae, finally aware of the call.

“It’s us! You said you’d take care of Yoonjae!!” Soobin yelled into the phone. “But who’s watching who now?!”

“But hyuuuung, Yoonjae said he wanted to sit down, so we let him,” Beomgyu said, pulling his most innocent face. “Then Taehyunnie and Hueningie provoked me.”

“We did not!”

“Yes you did!”

Not wanting the argument to drag out any longer, Yeonjun quickly took the phone from Soobin.

“Yah, we’re almost done here. Let’s meet up for a meal after this.” Yeonjun said.

“Okay, hyung.” Beomgyu said, visibly happy at the mention of food. “Yoonjae-ah, say bye-bye to hyungs.”

“Bye-bye!” Yoonjae said, his adorable face lighting up. “See you!”

“Bye Yoonjae-ah! See you in a bit!” Yeonjun said before hanging up.

For a moment, Yeonjun and Soobin shared a look.

“Well... for one thing, I’m just glad Yoonjae’s still in one piece.”

“Damn right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos/comments are welcome <3


	6. A Little Surprise

The five members agreed to meet at a Korean restaurant nearby the water park. Yeonjun had been craving barbeque and the rest were just too hungry to bother making decisions.

“They’re not here yet, but the both of you can go ahead inside the room first,” their producer had told Yeonjun and Soobin when they entered the restaurant. “Everything is already set up.”

"Thanks, PD-nim." Yeonjun said as the man left.

“Let’s just share everything,” Soobin said as he sat down cross-legged, reaching out for the menu on the low table. “We can keep ordering more if we’re still hungry.”

“Yeah, sounds great.” Yeonjun said with a nod.

Shortly after, they heard footsteps outside the room and Beomgyu’s head popped by the door. “Starting without us? How could you?”

“I’m literally just eating perilla leaves and sauce,” Yeonjun said as he chewed. “We’ve ordered for everyone already, just come in.”

Beomgyu came inside together with Hueningkai trailing behind him. Both of them looked a little tanned and worn out from the day’s adventure.

“Where’s Taehyun and Yoonjae?” Soobin asked.

“Here,” Taehyun said in a hushed voice as he came into view. He had Yoonjae wrapped tightly around him, the toddler fast asleep in his arms.

“Whew, somebody’s completely knocked out,” Yeonjun said in a low voice. “You guys really tired him out.”

“He made us go on the Lazy River four times. Four!” Beomgyu said as he raised his fingers to emphasize his point.

“We had so much fun though,” Hueningkai said as he looked at Yoonjae fondly.

Taehyun carefully sat down, not wanting to disrupt the boy’s sleep. Yoonjae did not seem affected in the slightest, snuggled comfortably against Taehyun’s chest.

“Tell me you ordered a lot,” Hueningkai said, looking at the two eldest members. “I’m crazy starving.”

“And who’s fault is that?” Taehyun accused as he raised an eyebrow at the other. “I suggested we stop to eat burgers at the water park, but you told me no.”

“The burger shop was at the other end of the park where the Viking ride was. Not a good idea with Beomgyu hyung with us.” Hueningkai tutted.

“Again, you wound me,” Beomgyu said in mock agony as he clutched his chest. “Just thought I’d let you know that I have been practicing self-restraint.”

“Like how?” Soobin asked with a snort.

“I no longer eat after midnight.” Beomgyu said proudly. “It’s good, right?”

“Okay, I’ll give you that.” Yeonjun said, humming in acknowledgment. “Until today I still can’t do that.”

“Hyung, you love food too much. You have a problem.” Taehyun said as he gently ran his fingers through Yoonjae’s fluffy hair.

Yeonjun sighed. “I know.”

Suddenly all five members received a notification on their phones – the production crew had sent them a message.

**MISSION: YOU CAN ONLY EAT WHAT YOONJAE EATS (any leftovers will be packed and given to the staff)**

“No. Way.” Hueningkai said as he blinked at the screen before him. His stomach growled loudly as if on cue.

“So if Yoonjae only eats plain rice that’s all we could eat?” Beomgyu asked, expression aghast. “That’s cruel! So cruel.”

“We gotta make him want to eat everything then,” Yeonjun said, his determined gaze falling on the toddler. “Make sure he doesn’t eat one thing for too long or else he'd be full.”

Just then, Yoonjae stirred awake from his nap though his iron grip on Taehyun never let loose.

“Good morning to you,” Taehyun said as he booped Yoonjae on the nose. “I hope you’re hungry, Yoonjae-ah.”

“Mmm,” was all Yoonjae said as he sat up groggily.

Beomgyu then opened his arms and gestured for the toddler to sit with him. Yoonjae obligingly crawled over and rested his head against Beomgyu’s chest. He yawned as he watched the waiters come in with their food.

“Whoa, this is a lot,” Taehyun said as he watched the waiters continue to pile dishes on their table. “You could feed a small army with this amount of food.”

“Remember, we need to first make offerings to our little prince before we can dig in.” Soobin said as he picked up his chopsticks. He stretched out his arm to reach for a plate he’d been eyeing ever since the waiter placed it on the table.

“Really, hyung? Spicy stir fried octopus? That’s how you want to start?” Hueningkai questioned.

“You don’t know how much I’ve been craving this.” Soobin said with a whimper. “I’ve even dreamt of eating this.”

“Let’s start off with something easy. We shouldn’t overwhelm him.” Beomgyu said as he grabbed a bowl. “Rice first?”

“Yup, rice. Rice is important. Everyone eats rice.” Hueningkai said as he scooped a portion before placing it in the bowl Beomgyu handed over to him.

“Broccoli,” came a little voice and the members all turned to look at the source.

Yoonjae was pointing at something on the table. True enough, right in front of him there was a small bowl containing seasoned broccoli. It was not something they ordered but a side dish the restaurant had given to them free of charge.

“I’m gonna cry,” Hueningkai said as he watched Taehyun pick out the broccolis for Yoonjae. “I can’t believe our dinner will just be rice and some lame broccos.”

“We taught him how to eat them, now he’s eating them well.” Yeonjun said with a grumble. “We got played real good.”

“What else do you want, Yoonjae-ah? Everything on the table looks delicious! How about we grill some meat?” Taehyun asked gently. He definitely knew what he was doing.

“Hmm. Okay.” Yoonjae said, not really caring much about the suggestion once he had the food he wanted in front of him.

“Yessss. A win for us!” Hueningkai cheered.

“Quick, what else can we make him eat in the meantime?” Beomgyu asked as he wiped Yoonjae’s chin that was covered in rice.

“Pajeon. Kids love these.”

“Okay, he’s eating them. Next!”

“The stir fried octopus. Please.” Soobin begged as he passed the dish around.

Yoonjae opened his mouth when they fed him a small piece of the octopus but he quickly spat it out after.

“Oh no,” Yeonjun said, disappointed. “Looks like we’re not eating octopus today.”

“But this is a delicacy,” Soobin claimed dejectedly, obviously crestfallen as he stared longingly at the dish. “A gift from the universe! Oh, but what does a three year old know? You’re far too young to appreciate all the good things life has to offer.”

Yoonjae continued eating his rice and pajeon, utterly oblivious to Soobin's soliloquy-slash-meltdown.

“Meat’s ready!” Hueningkai announced. He let them cool for a bit before giving it to Yoonjae to try.

“Is he eating it?” Yeonjun asked. “I’m salivating at the sight of the grill right now, I don’t know if I can hold myself any longer.”

“He swallowed it! All clear!” Beomgyu cheered as he planted a kiss on the top of Yoonjae’s head. “Great job, kiddo.”

“Thank you,” Yoonjae said absent-mindedly as he continued eating, not really knowing what he was thanking the older for.

They attempted to feed Yoonjae other dishes after that. He liked most of the food given to him, much to the five members’ delight – however he still refused to eat the octopus Soobin kept trying to feed him.

“Cheer up, hyung. We’ll come back next time for the octopus.” Hueningkai said as he patted the other on the back in an attempt to comfort him.

“Okay,” Soobin said with a pout. “I’m eating the whole dish alone the next time.”

After they finished eating, Yoonjae’s mother arrived and they chatted for a bit. Although he was reluctant to separate from Beomgyu at first, Yoonjae finally went to hug his mother when she called for him. Later as she walked back to her car with Yoonjae in her arms, the toddler waved goodbye at the five members, his bright little smile never leaving his face. The five members waved back just as enthusiastically, happy to have spent a memorable day with the boy.

***

Being one of the most popular boy bands around, the five members were pretty much accustomed to having a hectic schedule. They never really had enough time to rest and they were constantly flying in and out of the country to attend events and shows. Nevertheless they never complained and just kept working harder, always eager to show their fans their music, their performances and everything else they’ve been working on.

Interestingly, during one of their trips in Tokyo, one of their schedules got cleared – leaving them with an entire weekend with no activities while they were in the busy city.

“Eh? That’s weird. Was there a problem with the organizers?” Soobin inquired as he read the text message the company had sent them.

“Not sure, hyung.” Taehyun said distractedly. They were in the dressing room, changing out of their stage clothes after recording a performance for a Japanese TV show.

“Hey, our manager just texted to hurry. Security is outside and the cars are ready to take us back to the hotel.” Yeonjun announced as he pocketed his phone before scrambling to pack his belongings. He couldn’t find one part of his EarPods and was flipping every furniture in the room to search for it.

“You got another stuffed toy? Where did you even get this?” Taehyun asked as he looked at Hueningkai who was struggling to squeeze a fluffy white alpaca into his duffel bag.

“Airport. Duty free.” Hueningkai replied with a smug face. “It was too cute, I couldn’t resist.”

Beomgyu then came into the room looking anxious and a tad bit frazzled. “I can’t find my phone! I even went back to the stage to look for it.”

“It’s here,” Soobin chirped as he picked out the other’s phone in between the cushions. “You fell asleep here earlier, remember?”

“Ah right, thanks hyung.”

“We’re such a messy team. We need to better manage ourselves.” Yeonjun muttered after he finally found the missing EarPod.

They left the place rather haphazardly after that. At the hotel, they quickly entered their penthouse suite before collectively collapsing on the long sofa at the center of the room.

“I’m beat.” Beomgyu announced as he lifted his legs to rest them on the coffee table.

“You danced so hard today,” Soobin said as he went to get a glass of water in the kitchen. “I could feel your energy bouncing off the walls.”

“I thought I lost my phone and I was impatient to finish the performance,” Beomgyu laughed. “I’m on Level 150 in one of my games and I was so scared I’d lose all my progress.”

“Show me the game, hyung~” Hueningkai chimed as he scooted to snuggle next to Beomgyu.

“Oh! You’ve got a message.”

**ARE YOU READY?**

“Wait, why is the producer texting us now?” Beomgyu asked.

“What do you mean?”

The other members huddled around Beomgyu to read the text message.

**MISSION: TAKE YOONJAE TO THE STUDIO GHIBLI MUSEUM**

“But how?” Yeonjun asked, scratching his head. “Yoonjae is back in Seoul.”

“Maybe it’s for next week? And they’re giving us an early heads-up.”

“Wait, is there a Ghibli Museum back home? I think there’s only one in Japan.”

“Oh so we’ll have to fly back here with him?

“I don’t think I’m ready to board a flight with a kid. Seems scary.”

“It’s one kid and five adults, I think we’ll manage.”

Just then, their doorbell rang.

Not expecting any guests, Taehyun rushed to the door, thinking it would be one of their managers checking up on them. He peeked through the hole to see who it was outside.

“Guys… You will never believe this.”

Taehyun opened the door wide and the other members stood behind him in anticipation.

“Tadaaa!” came a bright squeal from their unexpected guest.

Their unexpected guest who stood less than half of their height, whose big doe eyes were twinkling and whose little hands were clutching tightly onto the straps of a familiar red dinosaur bag.

The members screamed in unison.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise, surprise :D
> 
> Anyway thanks for reading! Kudos/comments are welcome <3


End file.
